March 11, 2021
by Cynthia Fazekas
Coming soon! An early spring treat graced our tea tasting table last week breaking our late winter fugue. In this case, the first flush from Darjeeling is an early plucking from the Gopaldhara Rohini Estate. It is grown from a special cultivar called P157, that is known to be an early producer, hence this super early lot. The other special thing cultivar P157 is known for is its delicate floral notes, which are treasured by Darjeeling First Flush aficionados.
The tea garden has produced this super early harvest as an oolong, with traditional hand roll and plucking. The greenness is gone but left behind is a lovely sweetness, lingering floral notes, and a very smooth finish. If you have avoided Darjeeling first flush teas for a dislike of the typical astringency they offer, you may wish to try this beautiful tea. The producer calls it Rohini Spring Goddesses Darjeeling First Flush. It is certainly worthy of such a title.
I brewed it western style for cupping purposes with two grams of leaves at 195F for 3 minutes, but it would certainly enjoy a good gong fu, if you are so inclined. Perhaps five grams, with 195F water for 30 second infusions to experience the most from this leaf.
The wonders and bounty of spring!
